


Echoes of the Past, Echoes from the Future

by Enemie



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Best Friends, Coming of Age, Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Mother-Daughter Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26855227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enemie/pseuds/Enemie
Summary: FFXIV PG Background - The life of Oah passes quietly in the shadow of the Dravanian mangroves. But is time for her to choose whether to embark on the great adventure for which she is destined.





	1. Who goes and who stays

**Author's Note:**

> Be patient, English is not my mother tongue.

**«This is _absolutely_ out of the question!»**

The young miqo'te adjusted the prey on her shoulders again. When she got angry, she couldn't keep her hands still. But by continuing to gesticulate her disapproval, she would only risk dropping the precious bounty of that morning hunt. She puffed, blowing a tuft of her red hair off her face.

«I'll never let you leave the village.»

«You can't tell me what I should or shouldn't do. You are not my mother!»

«But I'm your sister!»

«Stop it! You're not even my sister. At best, my cousin.»

«No, Septha! You're hurting me deeply. Even though we don't share blood, you and I are sisters. And I know what's best for my lovely little sister.»

«I remind you that we are the same age...»

«Staying with me in the tribe!»

«No way. I want to see what's out of this boring forest.»

«Keep hunting, building our own little house...»

«Are you even listening to me?»

«... finding a good boy, starting a family, popping out a lot of baby girls ...»

«Oah!»

«I'm joking! Of course, I'm listening to you. But where would you like to go? Here is everything we need, right?»

«Yes, but aren't you curious to see what's beyond these four trees?!»

«I don't know, I've known them for many years now. And what if they miss me?»

«That's enough! I don't want to talk to you anymore.»

The girls walked briskly towards the village. In recent times, Dravania had become more dangerous. One had to be careful, even on those paths hidden among the gigantic roots of its ancient mangroves. But those woods were their home. They knew every crossroads, every colour, every noise. They diverted their march a few degrees and disappeared behind the thick trunk of a tree, just before a large brown bear could cross their path.

«Would you like to go to Limsa Lominsa like the twins?» Oah asked out of nowhere.

«I do not know. If I had to choose, perhaps I'd prefer Gridania.»

«Then you see that you like the woods!»

Septha rolled her eyes, letting go of laughter. She nearly tripped over a stone. She stood up straight, checking out of the corner of her eye that her friend hadn't noticed anything. But Oah was playing with her pendant, deep in thought. It was a small stone that glowed faintly, the colour of milk. Her father gave it to her when she was still a baby. Septha took a quick look at the three Chocobo eggs she carried in the bag to check they were still whole.

«I have heard that in Gridania there is a giant wooden house that they call "the Guild of Adventurers". That's where you have to go as soon as you arrive!»

«And who did you hear it from?»

«From that merchant who passes the village now and then.»

Oah stopped short and put his hand to his temple.

«Still that headache?» Septha asked worriedly.

Her friend's voice was now an imperceptible hiss in Oah's ears. Even with her eyes closed, colours and sounds swirled around her, making her lose her bearings.

_One. Two. Three._

The sword that seemed to have gone through her, from temple to temple, disappeared, taking away that mysterious pain.

«It is gone?»

«I think so.»

«Am I wrong, or are they more and more frequent?»

«Certainly more painful.»

«Come on, leave the karakul to me. You bring the eggs.»

«Don't joke. You know I'd end up breaking them!»

・・・

The village was now in sight. The sun's rays were only just beginning to clear the last mists of dawn, but life was already teeming inside the camp. The sweet smell of meat roasted in aromatic herbs fires put wings at the feet of the two girls.

They walked briskly towards the fire in the central square, where the other hunters were finishing preparing the meat for cooking. Oah could finally get that karakul off her back. She let go of her grip and the heavy carcass landed with a thud.

«Girls, I was starting to worry!»

«Sorry, Aunt Nophlo! We found some Chocobo eggs on our way back and stopped», Septha said, showing the contents of her bag.

«They are beautiful!» Nophlo exclaimed, glancing at the sparkling shells. "I hope you haven't done anything reckless to get them.»

«Of course not, Mom. You know us!» Oah said with a toothy smile.

«Exactly…», Nophlo handed her daughter the jug of milk that she held in her lap. «Leave the eggs to me and bring the milk to Grandma Ralka. She waits for it to give it to Kett.»

・・・

Grandma Ralka's tent was the oldest in the whole village. Each patch and stitch told a story from the life of the N tribe, and Grandma Ralka still remembered them all. She liked telling them to the children, in those days of cold and rain when you can't go out. From time to time, even the adults ended up returning to listen to them, not to forget who they had been and the people they had loved.

That morning, Grandma Ralka was sitting on the stump in front of her tent. She cradled little Kett and told the young girls a centuries-old story. It was a favourite of Oah and Septha. It spoke of when Ralka's grandfather, one of the old Nunh of the tribe, first came to the woods of Dravania in search of a new home for his people.

«Illuminated by the moonlight, Rahz leapt and thrust his dagger into the scales of the dragon's neck. Face to face with the beast, he saw a myriad of stars reflected in its eyes. The mighty creature could only let out its last roar to the sky, before falling to the ground, dead.»

The girls listened to the story of the old miqo'te, petrified.

«Tough crowd today, Grandma Ralka?» Oah joked.

«These little girls only want to hear me tell love stories», Ralka snorted, rolling her eyes. «I'll never knock some sense into them. And to say that you two loved N'rahz Nunh stories when you were little.»

«Don't worry, grandma. It will be for the next generation!»

«Hoping to see that.»

«Sure, you will bury us all! And after burying us, you will tell the young people about the fantastic adventures of N’Sephta Nunh, the first woman to head the N tribe! Riding in the woods, on the back of her golden aldgoat, the terror of squirrels and...»

Oah twirled like a fool around her friend. At each turn, a little milk ended up on the ground. The girls and Ralka laughed heartily. Septha, red from the tip of her nose to that of her ears, was trying to stop her friend's theatre. The slow pace of an old wrinkled miqo'te brought silence.

«May I not see the next moon if such a disaster should befall our tribe!» Ruled the old Khot, grinding his few remaining teeth. «A female Nunh has never been seen and never will be. This is even worse than all the nonsense you usually say, Oah!»

«Septha is equal to any man of this tribe, Grandfather Khot. If she wanted to, she could drive it like them, or even better!»

«Stop it, Oah!», Septha timidly said. «I'm not even of this tribe.»

«What are you saying?! You grew up here, with all of us.»

«Even if her mother gave birth to her here and your aunt Ebaloh homed them, those two aren't part of the tribe.»

«But they…»

«People like them and your father bring only more misfortune to this wretched tribe!»

Oah and Khot had already clashed before. Many other times. That old man would never, ever hear reasons. This awareness made her lose her words. Oah only managed to bite her lip, her eyes bright with anger. Proud on his crooked legs, the old miqo'te returned to his patrol, looking for new young people to scold.

«Sorry, I couldn't get him to shut up this time either», Oah said, blinking back her tears.

«It doesn't matter», Septha replied, wiping her eyes.

«My dears, that stupid Khot doesn't deserve your tears. It's just a gnarled old root with one foot already in the ground. But you are the greenest leaves on the top of these trees. If one day a tribe of miqo'te will have a female Nunh it will be because there are green leaves like you.»

«Thank you, Grandma.»

«And now, come on. Didn't you come to bring me milk for Kett?»

«Sure! Mum sent it, it has just been milked.»

Oah only managed to take a few steps toward Ralka. The pain made the jug slip from her hands. She saw the drops of milk roll in the dust before soaking the ground. She heard her name called, she heard Grandma Ralka tell Septha to run and warn the Nunh, she heard the frightened girls scream, Kett crying.

Then, she heard nothing.


	2. The Nunh

_**«Inari, what d- ... -om me?»** _

_**«N'ralka, you hav- ... -p me ... -annot all- ... -ve the village.»** _

«D-dad?»

«No, it's me», Nophlo said, smiling sweetly at her daughter. «How do you feel?»

«Good. Maybe. What happened?»

«You fainted suddenly.»

«I think I scared the girls to death.»

«The only one you nearly killed was Grandma Ralka. You can't test her heart like this, as you did as a child.»

«You're right», Oah replied with a half-smile.

«What are you worried about, my child?»

«Do you know why Grandfather Khot is so angry with Dad?»

«Grandfather Khot is very attached to the traditions of the miqo'te. He can't accept that a man like Dad has become Nunh.»

«Is it because he didn't bear into the tribe?»

«Partly. And partly because the tribe was very different when he was young.»

«How it was?»

«You are used to seeing all our males having many children, but once only the Nunh could have them. And the Nunh had to be a warrior, strong, tall. The most powerful male of the tribe. Let's say, the exact opposite of your father.»

Oah laughed, «and how is Dad the Nuhn now?»

«Times have changed, child. Several times, your father has proved far more capable than certain great Nunhs of the past. He may not be tall and strong, but he loves this tribe as if we were all his children. And seeing that we had no lack of tall and strong men, he thought it made no sense to forbid them to have children.»

«Hello?» Septha asked, timidly entering the tent.

«Septha, come in! I give you Oah. I have a crucial thing to do before I get back to my business. Please, make sure she stays in bed.»

«Yes, aunt.»

Nophlo hurried out of the tent, sending kisses to the girls. Septha laughed and went to sit at the foot of Oah's bed. Looking at her, she thought back to when she saw her fall to the ground, pale-face.

«Are you going to worry me again today?»

«I don't know. What else could I do? I might decide to leave the village tonight!»

«Ah! So funny! You made us worry before, you know?»

«I know. Do you think someone warned Grandma that I'm fine?»

«I think that was the important thing your mother had to do.»

«Listen, Septha, do you ever... nevermind!»

«Come on! You know you can tell me everything!

«Ok. But promise me you won't think I'm crazy!»

«I promise. Now tell me!»

«Well, this time, the headache wasn't like the other headaches. It was… different.»

«What do you mean?»

«I saw something. Or someone. I think I saw my father and grandma, but they were younger. They talked to each other, as if I wasn't there.»

«And what did they say?»

«I don't know. I couldn't figure it out.»

Septha stretched and laid down onto the bed. The sounds coming from outside were a muffled buzz. The girls stared at the vault of the tent, unable to figure out that little mystery.

«Maybe you should just ask your father.»

«Yeah», Oah replied, twirl the pendant between her fingers. «Can I get up now?»

«Oah! Aunt will kill me if she comes back and finds you up.»

«But I'm fine!»

«Sure, tell the milk.»

«Ugh...»

The morning sun heated the tent, creating a warmth that invites to sleep. Slowly, the girls let themselves go to a well-deserved rest after the night's hunt. When the bustle awakened them, they couldn't tell how long they slept. However, coming out of the tent, they understood in an instant the gravity of the situation.

・・・

  
That morning, Jinh and Intana had left the village on the first light of dawn. Every year, when the warm season gives way to the cold one, the tribe prepares for winter by sending two explorers to scout the valley. Their task is to map the position of herds of herbivores, predator nests, and dead trees from which stock up on wood.

They shouldn't have returned until evening. Yet they were there, lying at the feet of the girls. Intana had lost her senses and a lot of blood. Inari, Oah's father, was leaning over her, trying to stabilize her condition with magic. Nophlo was pressing a cloth hard against Jinh's wound, while Grandma Ralka comforted his six weeping daughters.

«D-dragons», Jinh said, gathering all the strength he had left.

A chorus of frightened voices rose in unison from the tribe, gathered there to help them.

«Where?» Inari asked, keeping his gaze fixed on Intana not to lose focus.

«Two malms ... to the North.»

«Now even the dragons! I told you that we unleashed Oschon's ire with this degenerat-»

«Shut up, old head!» Exclaimed Grandma Ralka, interrupting Khot's rants. «If you don't intend to take up the bow and defend the village, you'd better start looking for a stone big enough to hide under.»

«Defend the village?!» someone asked in fear.

«Ralka is right. We can't rule out the dragons returning to claim their prey. If we don't prepare, we will become their feast.»

At that moment, facing that scene, Oah felt a strange sense of excitement and fear. Two of his uncles were lying on the ground in a pool of blood, struggling between life and death. Despite their injuries, they must have rushed to the camp to raise the alarm. The very thought that they might not make it filled her heart with visceral terror. But something inside her prevented her from escaping, anchoring her feet on the ground. For an involuntary reflex, she brought her hand to the shoulder she used to hold the bow on. She wanted to fight, she wanted to protect her tribe, she wanted to save all the people she loved.

When he was sure that the two explorers' lives were no longer in danger, Inari rose from the ground. He gave his robes a few strokes to shake off the dust. He seemed so composed that no one could have ever imagined the whirlwind of thoughts in which he was absorbed. Fragments of possible futures flowed before his eyes. Each shift in his thoughts created new scenarios. His tribe was waiting for him to make a decision.

«Anyone unable to fight will take refuge in the cave. There you will find emergency supplies along with some blankets. You will not come back to the village for any reason until one of us comes and tells you that you can. Meanwhile, Oah and Septha will keep you safe.»

«But…» Oah tried to argue.

«Silence, Oah. Everyone who can fight will stay with me in the village. Come on, there's not a second to lose!»

The crowd dispersed. Everyone was committed to doing their job.

«Dad, I can fight! Please let me stay.»

«This is _absolutely_ out of the question! You'll take your brother, Septha, and everyone else to the cave. There, you'll keep them safe.»

«But I can keep them safe from here too!»

Inari put his hand on his daughter's shoulder.

«Oah, I'm entrusting you with our young and our elders, the past and future of the tribe. I am entrusting you with what I have most precious as Nunh and as a father. Now take your bow and bring everyone to the cave.»

«Come on, Oah», Septha said, dragging her friend away.

・・・

«My father thinks I'm not up to the job!»

«I asked you if you found the other blankets. Could you give me a hand?! This is not time to think about this.»

«But they are in the village. Dragons will arrive. An extra bow could make the difference!»

«As it could do it here.»

Septha found the blankets she was looking for and went back to organizing the group. Oah was standing in the middle of the cave, sulking. She was staring into space, thinking back to his father's words, to the vision she had had.

_When did things get so complicated?_

Ralka approached her with an uncertain step. She took her niece's hands and hugged them in hers. Oah wondered how they could be so hot in any season.

«What's going on, my dear?»

«I just wanted to give them a hand to protect all of you», she mumbled.

«I know. There will come a time when you will, and there will come a time when you will even if protecting us means you cannot protect yourself. It is said that everyone's fate is already written. What it isn' said is that what guides destiny is that immutable part of us that pushes us to act. Hence, even in a thousand different lives, we would always end up doing the same heroic deeds and making the same stupid decisions. Because this is the only way we know to remain true to ourselves.»

«What should I do, grandma?»

«Follow your instincts, little one. Not the heart or the head, but this», Ralka said, putting her hand on her belly. «No one will ever be as honest with you as your gut.»

«I feel I have to go.»

«Then go.»

Oah quickly picked up the bow and quiver, in two leaps she was out of the cave. As she ran down the hill, the valley glowed in the red sunset. The evening breeze ruffled her hair, bringing her the smell of blood and iron.

_It's not good, it's not good at all._


End file.
